The Ancient Gallery

With the latest victim of his scheme in carried into his hideout over his shoulder, the Chameleon has discovered that his hideout has been trashed. Wondering who was responsible, he takes his next victim and leaves with his mask-making gun, blowing up his hideout confident that whoever was responsible won’t be able to find out what he is up to. The Chameleon’s confidence is premature as his mask-making gun has been tagged with one of Spider-Man’s spider-tracers.[1] Unfortunately, Spider-Man isn’t around to watch the Chameleon’s return because he was busy getting Night Nurse to treat him for acid burns, leaving him to wonder who the Chameleon might be posing as now.[2] Although Spider-Man is back to making jokes, he can’t help but wonder how he narrowly cheated death after the Chameleon kidnapped Peter Parker. After being lowered into the vat of acid, Peter broke free from his bonds and then used his web-shooters to wrap himself in a protective coat of webbing. This allowed him to break out of his acid-filled prison with only superficial injuries. Before getting medical help, he turned the spy’s hideout upside down and learned that his foe stole Peter Parker’s identity in order to get access to the new shadow command for the NYPD which he was to photograph for the mayor’s office.

Unfortunately, the spider-tracer that Spider-Man used was damaged by the acid and can only be tracked with his electronic tracker. This allows Spider-Man to track the tracker to a four-block radius. As he tries to figure out who the Chameleon might be posing as the web-slinger’s spider-sense begins going off. Suddenly he is ambushed by some of the mayor’s Anti-Spider-Man Squad officers in Mandroid armor. This time the Mandroids have been outfitted with technology salvaged from the first Spider-Slayer which can snare Spider-Man in tentacles and also allows mayor J. Jonah Jameson to watch from a viewscreen mounted on one of the Mandroid’s chest.[3] Fighting off the Mandroids, Spider-Man tries to tell Jameson to give up his vendetta for a moment and help him protect the NYPD’s shadow command, but his pleas fall on deaf ears.

Meanwhile, the officers on security detail within shadow command prepare to admit a police transport into the facility, hoping that everyone will be too distracted watching Spider-Man to notice. That’s when Spider-Man spots the transport and his spider-sense warns him that the driver is the Chameleon. Spider-Man pulls free from the Mandroids and attacks the transport. However, the Chameleon — disguised as a female police officer — fights back. Thinking that the web-head is attacking a police officer, Jameson orders his Mandroids to attack again, allowing the Chameleon to activate the dirty bomb he has stashed aboard the transport. By this point, Spider-Man manages to shred the Chameleon’s mask, exposing his involvement. The officers then ignore Jameson when they discover that there is a dirty bomb stashed that is about to go off. Quick thinking, Spider-Man tells the Mandroids that the centralized burst of all of their built-in particle field accelerators can create a containment field that will contain the blast.[4] Without a moment to lose, the officers follow Spider-Man’s instruction and prevent Queens from becoming contaminated by radioactive fallout. With the blast contained, Jonah demands that the officers arrest Spider-Man. Since the wall-crawler just saved the city, the officers crush their spider-tracker and allow the web-slinger to escape. Later, Jonah is furious to learn that every member of his Anti-Spider-Man Task Force resigned from their positions.As Jonah rants and raves he’s silenced when his assistant, who has worked for city hall for over 40 years, also resigns as he doesn’t want any part of Jonah’s vendetta against Spider-Man. Realizing that he cannot treat his mayorship like he ran the Daily Bugle, Jonah sits quietly in his office to reflect on his decisions.

Meanwhile, after losing track of the Chameleon, Peter Parker decides to avoid his apartment and heads to Queens where Aunt May’s side of the family is staying at her house while she and Jay Jameson area on their honeymoon. There he is surprised to see Harry Osborn in the company of his cousins Amy, Alexa, and Amanda. Harry thanks Peter once again for allowing him to stay at his Aunt’s home, promising him that his current homelessness is only a short term set-back after his father cut him off from the family fortune.[5] Peter is then sent upstairs to help Harry’s unpacking. On his way up, Peter realizes that the Chameleon must have set this up while the spy stole his identity and wonders what other surprises he’ll have to wait for him. He’s surprised to find Mary Jane is upstairs helping Harry unpack. Mary Jane is happy to see Peter and hugs him, telling him how great it was for him to let Harry stay in his old room while he gets back on his feet. Feeling like old times, Mary Jane tells Peter that she has a production meeting and has to go and tells him not to be a stranger. She then tells Peter that whoever he is dating right now better treat him right or they’ll have to answer from her, confusing Peter as he has no idea who she is talking about. Peter is in for a shock when he returns to his apartment and is greeted by his roommate — Michele Gonzales — with a kiss on the mouth. Thanks to the Chameleon, she thinks they are in a relationship and she begins giving him various conditions and tells him of plans she made ahead of time.[6] Shocked by this development, Peter vows to kill the Chameleon when they meet next.

Elsewhere in the city, the Chameleon is approached by a limo and is called to it by his real name. The Chameleon says he is not Dmitri right now, but Janice Trillo, saying that he intends to fix her strained relationship with her mother before dropping the disguise, just like he fixed Peter Parker’s life by making him take responsibility for the first time — an incorrect assessment the Chameleon made after living in Peter’s life for a day. The woman who calls him reminds Dmitri who she is, the wife of Kraven the Hunter. She reminds him that Spider-Man killed her husband and she has come to ask Dmitri to help her and her daughter get revenge.[7]

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Chameleon, Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn, Michele Gonzales, J. Jonah Jameson, Amy Reilly, Alexa Reilly, Amanda Reilly, Sasha Kravinoff

Continuity Notes

1. Among the list of potential organizations and people that the Chameleon thinks trashed his hideout, he mentions the Inter-Service Intelligence Agency of Pakistan but also he wonders if MODOK was looking for some payback. The reference to the ISI should be considered topical. On the other hand, MODOK would have a bone to pick with the Chameleon following the events of Super-Villain Team-Up: MODOK’s 11 #2.

2. Spider-Man states that there are over 8 million people who live in New York. This population figure should be considered a topical reference.

3. Jameson mentions how he commissioned Spencer Smythe to build this Spider-Slayer for him. That happened in Amazing Spider-Man #25.

4. Spider-Man mentions how he used to work for Tony Stark. In order to cover for Peter Parker’s presence at Avengers Tower and maintain Spider-Man’s secret identity, Tony Stark made Peter an employee in Amazing Spider-Man #524. That job quickly ended when he renounced the Super-Human Registration Act in Amazing Spider-Man #535.

5. Harry had a falling out with his father, Norman Osborn, after refusing to become the hero American Son and join his Dark Avengers, as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #595-599. As a result, Harry was cut off from the family fortune and was forced to sell his condo in Manhattan. Up until last issue he had been sleeping in the backroom of his coffee shop, the Coffee Bean.

6. Some facts about Peter’s living conditions with Michele Gonzales have always been complicated the facts:

   • Peter moved in with Michele’s brother, Vin Gonzales (an NYPD officer) in Amazing Spider-Man #561.

   • Vin, later got involved in an NYPD conspiracy to frame Spider-Man for various deaths following Amazing Spider-Man #567. This plot was exposed in Amazing Spider-Man #584-588.

   • Vin agreed to a reduced sentence for naming names and has been in protective custody since. His sister has been acting as his lawyer since Amazing Spider-Man Extra #3 and has been living in his apartment. Peter discovered this new arrangement in Amazing Spider-Man #594, and it has been a strained situation from the start.

   • Without a date for his Aunt May’s wedding in Amazing Spider-Man #600, Michele agreed to go with him. The pair got drunk and ended up in bed together in the following issue. After an awkward morning after, Michele decided that Peter had to go until the Chameleon romanced her in Amazing Spider-Man #602.

7. The claim that Spider-Man was responsible for the death of Kraven the Hunter is not accurate at all, as we learned in Kraven’s Last Hunt, Kraven was driven mad over his obsession with Spider-Man. After spending a night in Spider-Man’s shoes, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. You’d know this too if you read Web of Spider-Man #31-32, Amazing Spider-Man #293-294, and Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132.